Antarctica's oldest ice has arrived in the UK for analysis which scientists hope will reveal more about Earth's climate shifts.

南极最古老的冰层已运抵英国，科学家希望通过分析这些冰层，进一步揭示地球气候变迁的奥秘。



The ice was retrieved from depths of up to 2,800 metres at Little Dome C in East Antarctica as part of an international effort to "unlock the deepest secrets of Antarctica's ice".

作为国际合作“解锁南极冰层最深层秘密”行动的一部分，这些冰层取自东南极洲小穹顶C区深达2800米处。

The ice cores - cylindrical tubes of ancient ice - will be analysed at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge, with the ultimate goal of reconstructing up to 1.5 million years of Earth's climate history, significantly extending the current ice core record of 800,000 years.

这些冰芯——即圆柱形的古老冰层样本——将在剑桥的英国南极调查局（BAS）进行分析， 最终目标是重建长达150万年的地球气候历史， 大幅延长目前80万年的冰芯记录。

The research is also expected to offer valuable context for predicting future climate change, Dr Liz Thomas, head of the ice cores team at the British Antarctic Survey, said.

英国南极调查局冰芯研究团队负责人利兹·托马斯博士表示， 英国南极调查局冰芯团队负责人说道。

Over the next few years, the samples will be analysed by different labs across Europe to gain understanding of Earth's climate evolution and greenhouse gas concentrations.

未来几年， 欧洲各地的不同实验室将对这些样本进行分析，以了解地球气候演变和温室气体浓度变化情况。

Dr Thomas said: "It's incredibly exciting to be part of this international effort to unlock the deepest secrets of Antarctica's ice."

托马斯博士表示：“能参与这项国际合作，共同揭开南极冰层最深处的秘密，实在令人振奋不已。”

"The project is driven by a central scientific question: why did the planet's climate cycle shift roughly one million years ago from a 41,000-year to a 100,000-year phasing of glacial-interglacial cycles?"

“该项目围绕一个核心科学问题展开： 大约一百万年前，地球的气候周期为何会从4.1万年的冰期-间冰期循环转变为10万年的循环？”

"By extending the ice core record beyond this turning point, researchers hope to improve predictions of how Earth's climate may respond to future greenhouse gas increases."

“通过将冰芯记录延伸至这一转折点之后， 研究人员希望提高对地球气候在未来温室气体增加情况下可能如何变化的预测能力。”

The ice was extracted as part of the Beyond EPICA - Oldest Ice project, which is funded by the European Commission and brings together researchers from 10 European countries and 12 institutions.

这些冰层是“超越EPICA——最古老冰芯”项目的一部分， 该项目由欧盟委员会资助，汇聚了来自10个欧洲国家和12个机构的研究人员。

"Our data will yield the first continuous reconstructions of key environmental indicators-including atmospheric temperatures, wind patterns, sea ice extent, and marine productivity-spanning the past 1.5 million years," Dr Thomas said.

托马斯博士说：“我们的数据将首次对过去150万年的关键环境指标进行连续重建， 这些指标包括大气温度、风型、海冰范围和海洋生产力等。”

"This unprecedented ice core dataset will provide vital insights into the link between atmospheric CO₂ levels and climate during a previously uncharted period in Earth's history, offering valuable context for predicting future climate change."

“这一前所未有的冰芯数据集将为地球历史上此前未曾探索过的时期内大气二氧化碳水平与气候之间的关联提供至关重要的洞见， 为预测未来气候变化提供有价值的背景信息。”

素材来源：iYuba